Skip to content

Study Hub

Study Guides

This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.

Year 8 - German

Last summer: perfect tense weak and strong verbs, 1st and 3rd persons singular

Holidays: present and past, perfect tense with 'haben'

Unit Summary

This unit provides pupils with the knowledge to form the German perfect tense with 'haben' and past participles for weak and some strong verbs. Pupils learn how to form questions in the perfect tense and two options for translating the German perfect tense into English.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to understand strong and weak verbs in the perfect tense to describe holiday experiences.

Key Notes

  • Past participles of strong verbs sandwich the stem with 'ge' and 'en' and the vowel often changes in the stem.
  • [sch], [st-] and [sp] need to be practised to assist spelling and pronunciation.
  • The past participle of strong verbs needs to be recognised in contrast to the infinitive.
  • The use of compound nouns enriches vocabulary.
  • 'Haben' changes when talking about different people, but the past participle stays the same.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • [sch]: pronounced as in 'schreiben'
  • [st-]: pronounced as in 'stark'
  • [sp]: pronounced as in 'stark'
  • strong verb: a verb whose past participle adds 'en' and often changes the stem vowel; for example, 'gesungen'

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Compound nouns are completely different words that cannot be understood or pronounced unless they have been met before.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain what you can now say or understand in this lesson.

Past participles of strong verbs sandwich the stem with 'ge' and 'en' and the vowel often changes in the stem. [sch], [st-] and [sp] need to be practised to assist spelling and pronunciation.

2. Define this key language word and use it in context. '[sch]'

pronounced as in 'schreiben'. Say or write it in a short sentence so you use the word actively.

3. Correct this common language-learning mistake.

Mistake: Compound nouns are completely different words that cannot be understood or pronounced unless they have been met before. Correction: Compound nouns are made up of two (or more) nouns, one or more of which pupils may already know. Knowledge of formation and read aloud can promote recognition as can activities where pupils produce compounds from known words.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 German guide library.